American Gangster Tops DVD Charts

American Gangster topped the national DVD sales and rental charts for the week ending Feb. 24. The Universal Studios Home Entertainment release sold an estimated 4 million units in its first week in stores.

According to Nielsen VideoScan First Alert data, “Gangster” sold more than three times as many copies as Warner’s Michael Clayton, which finished a distant second on the weekly sales chart.

The previous week’s top seller, Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? from Lionsgate, slipped to No. 3 in its second week.

Making a surprisingly strong debut was another Lionsgate release, Chaos, a direct-to-video actioner starring Jason Statham, Ryan Phillippe and Wesley Snipes. The film bowed at No. 7 on First Alert, beating several new releases with a theatrical history.

“Gangster” also scored big in the rental arena, according to Home Media Magazine’s rental chart. The film generated an estimated $9.7 million to take the No. 1 slot, though the margin of victory over “Clayton” wasn’t as pronounced as it was on the sales chart. “Clayton” earned a respectable $8.2 million in rental revenue to take the No. 2 position in its first week, while the previous week’s top renter, Disney/Miramax’s Gone Baby Gone, slid to No. 3.